1. Field Of The Invention:
The present invention relates to a construction unit and more particularly to such a construction unit which has particular utility where installed as roofing or as a ridge unit for asphalt composition roofs imparting a pleasing exterior appearance to such roofs and possessing unique operative characteristics both in installation and during its operational life.
2. Description Of The Prior Art:
Asphalt composition roofing materials have a number of advantages over other forms of roof construction both in residential and commercial uses. Available asphalt roofing materials are readily installed, relatively inexpensive when compared with alternative forms of construction, and light in weight possessing the lowest load characteristics for comparable forms of roofing construction. Furthermore, asphalt roofing materials are quite durable and compare favorably in this respect with other materials.
Notwithstanding these advantages, asphalt roofing materials have not been as widely used as would otherwise be the case. This is due to their comparatively unattractive appearance when installed and to certain operative difficulties in installation and use. Once installed, such roofing construction tends to present an uninteresting, flat appearance as a result of a minimum of surface variation. Surface variation presents a pleasing appearance of tile and shake roofing and constitutes a primary reason of their wide usage. While some attempts have been made to alleviate these aesthetic deficiencies in asphalt composition roofing, such attempts have not been overly successful. Furthermore, it has been found difficult to achieve the double layer thickness of material required by building codes in combination with a sufficient surface variation and a pleasing appearance at an acceptable price.
The lamination of a plurality of sheets of asphalt composition material together to achieve the multiple thickness does not noticably improve the appearance since the sheets are themselves of minimal thickness. Furthermore, such laminated units do not have the tapered thickness which is characteristic of shake roofing and would be desirable in asphalt roofing. Other attempts to achieve an aesthetically pleasing appearance in asphalt roofing have required several of the units to be interlocked to achieve the number of layers required by building codes while incorporating, in one form or another a sufficient surface variation to achieve a pleasing appearance. Prior art efforts have been both expensive and difficult to install. Furthermore, the units are usually folded in packaging in a manner which frequently causes the units to crack along their uppermost surfaces thus substantially reducing their initial effectiveness and operational lives.
Therefore, it has long been known that it would be desirable to have a construction unit well suited to both residential and commercial roofing uses which, when installed, produces a roof having a pleasing exterior appearance with a significantly elevationally varied surface and which is readily installed, is of low cost and retains the multitude of operative advantages characteristic of conventional asphalt roofing materials.